Last week was a busy one for me as I attended and presented at both #EdCampNJ and #NYSCATE15. At EdCampNJ, I hung out with friends new and old and helped lead sessions for #BreakoutEDU and #GoogleExpeditions. The highlight was definitely helping facilitate a discussion and demo of Expeditions with Dani and with Jonathan Rochelle from Google. Then, from Sunday to Tuesday, Dani and I drove way up Rochester for the New York State Computer and Technology in Education annual conference. NYSCATE is the NY ISTE affiliate, and this was probably the largest conference I’ve ever attended. We presented on backchanneling in the secondary classroom and you find our presentation here.

It was so cool to present with Jonathan, talk GAFE, and share Expeditions with so many teachers. We ran two sessions, and both were packed. He had 3D printed pencil toppers and logos of Expeditions and other Google Apps, which were so cool. It was great meeting new friends, reconnecting with the great NJ connected educators, and spending so much time with friends & #PLN. Another highlight was almost recording a live episode of The House of #EdTech with Chris Nesi and AJ Bianco. We had some technical difficulties, so our co-hosting never hit the airwaves, but we will try again soon.

At NYCATE, I also had a great time learning, connecting, and presenting. The highlight here was definitely listening to and connecting with great keynote speakers and leaders, like Jaime Casap, Tom Whitby, David Pogue, and Tom Murray.

Usually, I hate keynotes. Even when the speaker is engaging, I’m rarely sure it’s the best use of my time at a conference. I would rather choose my sessions, connect and network, and be in control of my learning. Usually. But these keynotes were different; Monday’s keynotes from David Pogue and Jaime Casap shined with their humor, humility, intelligence, and insights into the world, education, and technology. They truly made me laugh, reflect, and think to the future, and also provided the title for this post and the throughline for my reflection. Pogue focused on the role of disruptive technology and how technology, its changes, and impacts affect education. Casap empowered the audience, reminding us about our power as educators in today’s world. Both shared really timely thoughts about the role of technology and education for today’s Generation Z.

“This is the Most Exciting Time!”

David Pogue reminded us that while technology is disruptive and forcing change, that’s always been the case. Society has been always been afraid of or resistant to new technology. But change is scary, and fear can be a good motivator towards innovation and understanding. Whether it was fear of the airplane causing coronaries or the microwave’s cancer rays, fear of technology is a part of our world.

Jaime Casap, Google’s education evangelist, delivered the second keynote of the day, and the two complemented each other beautifully. He reminded us how much technology has evolved by asking, “Do you remember? We used to have to call the Internet. And the Internet was busy!” He focused his ideas on the power of education on his life and that of his students. According to Casap, we live in a world of iteration and creation--even Google is updated hundreds of times a year--and that world is constantly changing, requiring innovation and collaboration. “It’s a much more beautiful world when I don’t feel alone in it,” he so poignantly remarked.

Jaime's keynotes had so many great ideas, and a few that I’ve heard and often used in my own classroom and trainings, but didn’t even know came from him. By far the most powerful was his push to change the way we ask students about their futures:

Jaime Casap concluded: “This is the most exciting time. We are creating the future of education. We are just getting started.”

This is what stuck with me a week later. Whether it’s Google Expeditions, wearable and disruptive technology, or connecting and collaborating across the world, we are in a time of unprecedented innovation and change in education, in technology, and in the world. Both of these conferences, and these two keynotes in particular, left me exciting about the world we teach and learn in, but even more excited for the future. We are just getting started.

A busy week has led to a light week of posts at the Schoenblog. Over the past few days, I’ve attended and presented at EdCampNJ and at NYSCATE, the New York State Computers and Technology Education association annual conference. I learned a lot, had a blast presenting, and was able to connect with and listen to some amazing presenters. I need some time to process it all, including presenting on Google Expeditions with Jonathan Rochelle and listening to keynotes from Jaime Casap and David Pogue. It all made me think and reflect in new ways, and I’m exciting to share it all. But with the busy week and Thanksgiving, it needed to be a short one for posting.

I’m currently in the first year of an EdD program for educational leadership. In my policy class, I am learning everything I can about educational technology public policy. This led me to the 2010 National Educational Technology Plan, Transforming American Education Learning Powered by Technology. The plan is really interesting and helps inform a lot of the current trends in education reform and edtech, arguing that transformation in educational technology can directly contribute to closing the achievement gap.

My final in this class is a 20-page policy analysis, which I’m currently revising. If you read The Schoenblog, you likely are interested in technology and education reform, so I’m sharing my presentation and evaluation of the policy’s quality below. This is just a snapshot, and a work in progress, but it may be of interest. I didn’t even know we had a national policy, and found it to be really powerful in its ideas and potential impact.

Looking for more reading for Thanksgiving week? Check out Scott Hawksworth and Sarah Bass’s article, 101 E-Learning Tips from the Experts at Best Online Universities. I contributed a tip, along with dozens of other experts and people I admire. It’s a list worth checking out.

It’s Monday morning. I woke up early to get some work done before school, arriving at 6:40 AM. I have almost an hour before the day officially starts. I log on, type in my password, and see the worst possible response: Server tree not found. I rush to another room, another computer, anything! But there is no hope--the internet is down! I immediately make phone calls and send texts in a panic--even sending out my favorite new Bitmoji for bad news--however will I teach?

Game over! Or is it? And should it be?

I love technology. I want to use purposefully to change teaching and learning, and almost every day, I think I do. But technology is a tool, and needs to be used with purpose and for effect. Teachers need to plan, have concrete goals, and solid expectations for student learning and achievement. And we also need to be able to adapt, change things on the fly, and sometimes, make a shift back to the stone age. The US Office of Educational Technology and the Obama Administration wants every students to have an internet capable device in school and at home, but this isn't a reality yet. Even in a district like mine, where tech is the norm and the WiFi is a given, we have problems. Not all our systems have the necessary infrastructure yet. Sometimes, there are problems outside of our control. Yes, we should be able to depend on consistent teaching enviornments, but days without the internet also make me think about what a crutch technology can sometimes be.

Before you use technology, ask yourself whether or not it’s necessary, purposeful, or changes teaching or learning. If not, don’t give up on the tried-and-true strategies that have worked for so many years. I love change--and there’s so much wrong with education today--but there are also valuable things we do right, and many don’t need technology.

4 Non-Tech Strategies for Student Engagement & Learning

1. Students Create & Present

Do you ever miss the days when students created a poster? A brochure? Something hands-on without the computer? In my high school classes, those days are long gone. Now, the activities I named above usually lack an authentic audience, but I think there’s a lot of value in hands-on creation. I think about my day with the #MarshmallowChallenge (seeEverything I Know I Learned From the #MarshmallowChallenge) and learning in maker spaces. Why not bring hands-on learning and creation into your classroom? Focus on students doing something, and then presenting it to their peers. Technology is often a complete crutch for students who lack presentation skills. Build these skills before allowing the comfort of the Smart Board or other presentation tools.

2. Have an Argument!

So much of the Common Core focuses on arguments and evidence-based claims. Debate, argue, and defend ideas over any number of topics. Which math skill is the hardest? Why? Who would make a better president? Would you rather live in outer space or under the sea?

Last year, I had students work in groups to craft arguments in ten minutes and then held mini-debates in class. Their peers voted on a winner and gave feedback. Just this week, I scrapped my plan for a written anticipation guide and had students get up, move around the room, and defend their ideas. We shifted across the room, standing in a line representing the strength of our opinions, agreeing and disagreeing with statements from the text.

3. Free Write

I love a creative writing prompt to get kids thinking. Keep it fun and light, while developing argument and public speaking skills, along with writing-on-demand and creativity. Pose a question to students like, “Would you rather be a pirate, viking, or ninja?” or “If you could have any superpowers, what would they be? Why?” Make sure the question is open ended and push students to support their ideas, no matter how crazy they become. I like to have students write silently for ten minutes, then share with their groups, and finally, to the class. That way, all voices are heard and students are active and engaged for most of the lesson. Another strategy is to use an image to tell a story about or explain a situation for. See the image below for an example of a good free write starter prompt:

4. Reflection or Synthesis of Learning

Metacognition and reflection are essential for learning and growth. Have student reflect on learning, formally or informally. Whether it’s through a brief survey or discussion, or a more formal reflection or portfolio, any time students think about their progress is meaningful. My students just wrapped up research presentations introducing the Holocaust, and they evaluated their successes, learning, and challenges with this form.

Also consider exit tickets, what stuck, or another type of synthesis, assessment, or reflection tool. Make sure students are clear about what they learned (or should have learned) in class so you are clearer about how to move them forward.

What are your favorite non-technology tools, strategies, or activities? How do you feel on that dreaded day when the internet goes down?

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program. I helped organize the day, recruit teachers, and facilitate the field trips, which I wrote about in a previous post: My Day With Google Expeditions. I loved the engagement, wonder and possibilities that Expeditions provided, and was thrilled to bring it to Ossining.

The next day, I asked both students and teachers for immediate feedback to explore what they thought, too. The results were clear: students and teachers enjoyed Expeditions and liked learning from and with them, but there is room for improvement. They were excited by the 360 degree functionality and the graphics, but many felt uncomfortable with the Cardboard devices, and some even nauesous. A handful asked for more interactivity, like sound, video, and higer resolution images. Some teachers said that it was hard to plan for because the Expedition descriptions are vague and can't be previewed beforehand. And all of these criticisms are spot on.

But so are the good things. They want to do it again. They want to create and have students create their own. And they realize the potential for Google Expeditions to change education.

The Survey

Below, find an overview of the data from this survey from eight teacher and 146 student participants. The survey included eight quantitative questions, with a response scale of Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree, and five qualitative questions. They all asked about students' enjoyment, learning, comfort, and desire for more. Screenshots of the form results summary and pull quotes form the qualitative questions are excerpted blow. Find the survey here and the full results linked at the bottom of this post.

What My Students Think

"i thought it was a cool experiment but if we were able to mover around more i think it would be a more fun and engaging experience"

"I liked the google expeditions because I liked seeing places in depth that I've never been before. I didn't really like it because I almost threw up the period after."

"I enjoyed using google expeditions because of the fact that the teacher is able to teach about a location and the students are able to be looking at what the teacher is teaching like if one was there in real life. Also if the teacher wants to show you something specific in the expedition he/she can pick a spot and on everyone's expedition it will show an arrow to where the teacher wanted to show you. What i didn't like was the fact that it made you nauseous after using it. It makes you want to not look at the expedition as much."

"I liked it because we went to different places without having to pay or leave, i didn't like how it hurt my nose and eyes, it also gave me a headache."

"I disliked google expeditions due to the fact that you're pretty much just looking at a fancy photo, you aren't getting the actual experience of a field trip. It would just be easier for a teacher to give a power point with images from the location and give the class questions."

"We talk about so many different places within classes that you would think we would never be able to see or visit, but expeditions gives students a chance to actually see places a little more realistically than in pictures."

"It really encompassed a new learning experience that I would like to use as it gave real life experiences in a classroom setting, allowing it to stay put in our memory."

"It allows me to see visually what my teacher is lecturing on which is really helpful in remembering certain details. It's easier to remember what my teacher says if I can link it to images in my mind. It's much better than looking at a single square picture, instead I feel like I'm having an experience in the expedition."

"Google Expeditions was a good companion to a lesson because it engaged the class (though part of this was likely just the novelty of it, and a class would not be so excited about a Google Expedition lesson if such lessons were commonplace), but it could not function as a lesson in itself. Google Expeditions would be a good enhancement to learning if it were integrated into lessons in which a concept that is difficult to picture in one's mind is being explained, or in which the teacher wants to greater the students' understanding of a specific location or scene."

"Google Expeditions enhances learning because it allows students to travel to the place they are learning about without ever leaving the classroom. Being able to see a place in a 3-D sense replaces the need for 2-D pictures that a student would normally see on a power point slide."

"My experience with Google Expeditions was great. I liked that you are able to look at different places and learn about the places. It is a good learning experience. Something that i disliked is that after a while it starts to hurt your eyes and after a long time it starts to give you a headache."

"It was a nice idea, but could be improved. The device itself was uncomfortable, especially the lens; it would make me a little disorientated after use for a few minutes. The lens also make the image blurrier than the phone image, which just ruins the experience. A third and final complaint which is not as big of an issue as the others is having to hold it. It would nice if there was a strap or something that would make it hands-free."

"I think it just took time away from actual learning I don't think it accomplished much, besides making a group of 20 kids nauseous. Also you don't learn much because kids are too busy fooling around looking at the image instead of listening to the teacher."

"I just wish it was more in place so I would not feel nauseous and dizzy."

"It would be great if the dizzy/nausea factor could be removed."

"Google Expeditions would be improved if it had more options for student class participation, such as allowing students to input responses or add the arrows that the teacher used during the sample lesson from their own goggles/devices."

"What prevented the complete immersion was looking at the tops and bottoms of the photosphere." "They're either empty, distorted or had a sort of watermark."

"Google Cardboard could be using in conjunction with YouTube to view the 360 videos."

"If I could create my own Expedition, I would make one of Hogwarts (from Harry Potter), and I think it could also have a great application in other fantasy scenes. However, I also think it would be great to make Expeditions of cell and atomic models (for science classes) or scenes/societies in certain times in history (for history classes) for a more integrated understanding."

"If i could create my own, I would travel everywhere. From the past to the present day. Everywhere in the world. Though number one would be Tokyo, Japan."

"If i could i would go to the capitol of Brazil because of the nice beaches that are there the hotels and many more good looking places. I feel like it would be cool to go there and learn something more interactive. It espallcy is cool to be able to do a 360 degree turn it makes it even more real like if you were there."

"If I can create my own Expedition, i would create one of new york city during Christmas and new years"

What My Teachers Think

Teachers were asked the same questions as students but they were geared towards their students' learning. Overall, almost all teachers strongly agreed or agreed with all of the questions. One disagreed that students were engaged, two on physical comfort, and one on the desire to create or have students to create Expeditions. Otherwise, the results were consistent.

Here are some of their written responses:

"The visual and interactive qualities made it very engaging for the students. My only dislike was that I planned a lesson not having a clear idea of the details or what would be seen. I also thought that the some of the locations could have had more images and details. For example, Edinburgh castle only had a street view, one room and a view from the roof. I thought we would actually be in more rooms and locations in the castle."

"I liked that there were guiding questions for the expeditions. My only concern is that some students did not react well, physically."

"I was impressed, it was definitely a change of pace for the students. Also, the positive reactions of some prompted more participation from those who were not interested at first. I liked how I could direct their attention to certain things, although I wish it allowed for more mobility to really explore."

"Instead of just talking about a place, I was able to bring my students to the place. This is not a tool that can be used to replace a lesson, but is a tool that can most definitely enhance a lesson."

"Hardest part of Social Studies is bringing to life people long dead or places long gone. This helped bridge that gap a little."

"I would like the students to be able to read the info and see questions on their devices. Also, I worry that after a few expeditions the novelty might wear off. Any way to make it more interactive for the individual would help."

The Full Data

Getting to participate in the Pioneer program was awesome, and I'm glad I now have the data to prove it. Share your experiences with or ideas for Expeditions in the comments or on Twitter. Also, you can find more data and responses in the links below.

This year is my first as a technology coach in my school. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve been able to help plan and facilitate professional development for a large staff and to have a hand in shaping the plan and vision for technology integration. I also spend half of my day teaching 10th grade English, so I’m able to tie my coaching and PD into my own classroom instruction. So far, so good--I thought. And then came the words that have been playing back in my head for a day now.

While discussing a plan for future technology PD, my friend Tina reminded me: “There’s more to instructional technology than tools.” Duh. I know that. If you’re reading this, you likely know it, too. But she was totally right--for whatever reason we weren’t talking about that. We were focusing on tools, resources, and sometimes skills, not shifts, pedagogy, or transformative learning. If I want to be a catalyst for change so badly, why weren’t these the conversations we were having? Why wasn’t I contributing to the bigger picture?

Maybe (and probably--I hope), I’m being hard on myself. I’m generally happy with the impact I’ve had so far. Teachers in my department are using technology meaningfully, purposefully, and regularly like never before, and I see change happening right now. But in planning the big picture, these ideas have been fairly absent. In August, I wrote a post titled5 Big Shifts for My Classroom in 2015, explaining how I wanted to focus on student-centered learning, creation, connected learning, communication, and communities of learners. And in my classroom, I think I’ve had success. Now I need to apply the same goals to the big picture; 21st century shifts in my classroom are great but only affect my students. Shifts in teachers’ mindsets and practice have an exponential impact.

Change is hard. And it’s scary. Maybe I subconsciously shied away from what I know I know so well: change is uncomfortable but necessary. Good leaders help lead transformational change with buy in and payoff. Sometimes, that buy in will come from a tool that can save a teacher time or make their online work more effective. But that won’t prepare our teachers or students for tomorrow on its own.

Questions & Answers

I don’t really have any answers here, but I think I have some of the questions:

What are the most important shifts in 21st century teaching and learning?

How should professional learning, development, and coaching shift to help facilitate these changes?

What concrete strategies can coaches and leaders use to help facilitate these changes?

Without answers, all I can do is start small, and focus on the objective. I want to promote student-centered classrooms, with the purposeful integration of technology and active learning and creation. I want teachers to put their trust in students as self-directed learners, leaders, and creators, and to step back and facilitate their progress. Lastly, I want to see teachers and students communicate and collaborate because all of us are smarter than one of us.

As I thought about these ideas and concepts, I started to do my homework. Below, find a handful of articles that I read today that shed light on these ideas. Over the next few weeks, I plan to continue to develop these ideas and would love for you to add to the conversation.

This week, I returned my second writing major writing assignment of the school year. I’ve taught in a Google Apps classroom for a few years now, but I still learn something new or reconsider an old norm all the time. I love that Google Apps are a work in progress, too, and are constantly growing and evolving. Generally, I’m a big fan of building a strong foundation with students, so I start the year off with a lot of small, focused, and formative writing. I usually find that this pays off by the time the summative pieces start rolling in, but always requires a lot of attention to feedback and a big push for students to revise their work.

As I returned their recent assignment on Google Classroom this morning, here are the lessons I reflected on:

3 Lessons

1. With Feedback, Sometimes Less is More

I’m big on my comments and feedback and I probably provide too much of it sometimes. I’m a believer that when technology makes things more effective or easier, we should take advantage of it, and I love how Google Classroom helps do this for me. For example, I know that most 10th grade students have issues using quotations correctly in their writing. I might make a formative or summative comment in their docs, or even add feedback about it on the assignment in Classroom, but when I see a trend, I don’t spend much time commenting on it anymore.

Instead, I provide specific feedback that can really help the student grow as an individual writer, and then isolate 1-2 trends to review as a class. By targeting these trends, students can then go back and revise their work, become more active editors, and take control over their own development as writers. Teachers don’t need to make the same comment on 80 students’ papers when one e-mail, mini lesson, or reflection might be easier and more effective.

2. Comments vs. Suggestions

The Suggested comment feature in Google Docs is a powerful one. Instead of simply adding a comment to the margins of a doc, it actually makes changes that the editor then needs to accept or reject. It’s incredibly powerful and can save so much time and effort. Do I need to explain in writing how to fix the quote when I can model it with a quick suggestion?

But Suggested Comments scare me, as I reaffirmed today. If students accept my suggested changes, are they experiencing growth and metacognition? Or are they blindly clicking the check box because the teacher must be right? There are times where suggesting that additional comma is the best practice, but I much prefer inserting comments the old fashioned way when providing feedback. It may take a little more time for me, but it puts the onus of reflection and revision on the student in a more active and meaningful way.

3. See New Changes

This is the game changer for me right now. I allow my students to revise ANYTHING, provided that they meet a strict set of guidelines for how and when they revise. Feel free to read my Revision Policy and my recent post, Managing Late & Revised Student Work in Classroom & Forms for more. If a student is working hard, it’s more important to that they learn than when they learn, so strategies for tracking changes and growth are a must.

I read and gave feedback on all of my recent revisions today, exploring the See new changes feature for the first time. Find the button on the Google Docs menu bar pictured below.

For a collaborative Google Doc, clicking the button will show you all of the changes since the last time you viewed the work. While it’s similar to the Revision History, for a teacher looking to track changes in revisions, it’s so much more powerful. Usually, the last time I view a student’s work is when I return it before revision, so seeing the changes since then is perfect. Additionally, it shows how many changes were made and links back to the full Revision History, too. See the screenshot below:

The green text shows the edits for this work. The student has fixed citations, crafted more specific statements, and shown clear improvement in proofreading. And all of that evidence is so clear with the click of a button. I’m not ready to throw my revision procedures out the window, but See new changes is a great thing.

More Lessons

I often describe Google Apps as living and breathing. They evolve and change--usually for the better--and push me to learn something new all the time, which can then help teachers and students learn better, too. I’m looking forward to exploring more of the recent changes to Google Docs and other Apps and writing about them here.

How do you manage feedback in Google Docs? What lessons have you learned?

I first had the chance to play with Google Expeditions at #NJPAECET2, a conference this fall. Jonathan Rochelle let us try it out, and my mind was blown. All of a sudden, I was standing on a cliff, looking down into certain three dimensional zoom. I came back to my school excited about what I saw and it’s potential to take students where they could never go before.

Not only was the experience engaging and immersive, but had such untapped educational potential. Students can go under the sea, to outer space, and back in time. We can explore the world of an engineer and experience future career options. English and social studies students visit World War II sites to learn about our history. And what if we could go further: inside a body or a cell? Or even more powerful, what about the inevitable day when we can create our own Expeditions and share our community with the world.

When Google announced the Expeditions Pioneer program, where they would visit schools to test the product, I jumped on the opportunity, and today the magical day has come. Eighteen classes, including every subject area, will participate today, exploring dozens of virtual fieldtrips. The response so far?: “We should use these every day!”

Below, find some pictures and video of our day. Next, I plan to have my students and participating teachers give feedback about Expeditions and how it could be used in their education. My students are also tweeting about Expeditions they would like to create (check #SchoenTell and #OssiningPride for more). Next week, I plan to share their feedback and learning so you can hear from students about how awesome the experience truly is. I’ve heard about and experienced a lot of new technology in education, and with its low cost and incredible potential, #GoogleExpeditions is truly a game changer.

This month, I will hit a milestone in my brief writing career: my first print article. Maximize Learning Opportunities with Chromebook Managementwill appear in Tech & Learning Magazine’s November issue. The link works for the online version, but it’s exciting to know that I’ll get that print byline, too. They have been featuring posts from the Schoenblog as an Advisor Blog online, too, and I love having another outlet to connect with.

I also has the pleasure of speaking at their Tech & Learning Live event last Friday. It was so nice to attend a conference so close to home--right in Tarrytown, NY--and to see friends, learn, and connect all day long. I spoke on a panel called We Have Devices--Now What?, sharing ideas and practices for how we implement technology to change teaching and learning. I also attended a panel about PD models for technology, talked with a lot of vendors, and had a lot of fun networking with new and old friends. I loved how the conference provided a lot of time for participants to socialize and talk (and had good food, of course!).

I immediately put my conversations and connecting to use, and had a breakthrough on a new project. Expect to see the hashtag #TheEduCal trending soon. Luckily, my friends were there to document my Eureka! moment.

The answer is always a Google Form. The problem, question, or situation doesn’t really matter; Google Forms is the answer. It’s the most powerful and versatile of all Google Apps, and can be used for a variety of purposes: data collection, assessment, feedback, sign up/RSVP, and so many more. Once you consider forms and sheets add-ons, the potential for forms to help with organization and communication is unlimited. I’m being hyperbolic for sure, but I could write a blog just on forms with new content for teachers regularly….and maybe I will.

Earlier this year, Google Classroom rolled out a new forms integration, which makes using them with Classroom so much easier. It’s cleaner and more effective than ever to assign a form, but as I’ve learned this week, there are challenges to consider, too. While the new features will save a teacher from scouring rows of sheet data to see which students submitted, they also sneakily copy the form to each assigned class, separating out all data and any add-ons or functions a power user might need.

Forms & Classroom: Old vs. New

In its first year or so, Google Classroom did not have any sort of forms integration. While you could simply click the Drive icon to add a file to an assignment for most Google Apps, Forms were not an option. Instead, the easy alternative was to view the live link to a Form and to add that link to the assignment. Easy as pie.

Teachers had to then View responses in the Google Sheet to track submissions, which can be a hassle, but is made much easier with a quick =(SORT) function.

In the recent Classroom updates, Forms integration was released. And it seemed awesome. Not only could you add a Google Form from your Drive to a Classroom Assignment, but it would Mark the Student work as done upon Form submission. This works just like the Ask a Question feature; when the students submits the work, it is automatically marked as done. Sounds awesome, right? If you are using a form for the basic features and aren’t as interested in working with the data, it’s a huge time saver. But if you’re a power user of forms, or are interested in using Add-ons like Form Mule or Flubaroo, be careful: danger ahead.

The Pros

The ease of integration described above is great. Instead of taking the time to view and sort (manually or with functions) the Google sheet, teachers can just look at the Done vs. Not Done, which updates live as students submit their Forms. This works just like the submission of any other assignments on Classroom.

If there are multiple files added to the Assignment that includes the form, students will need to click Mark as done manually, otherwise this is now automatic.

The Cons

What Google Classroom is really doing with forms surprised me. Instead of assigning the live form link to the assignment, it is actually creating a copy of the form itself within Classroom, just like the Make a Copy option would for any other Google doc. The problem here lies in multiple classes: if you are assigning a form to multiple Classroom classes, it will create multiple copies of the form AND the results sheet. This means that the teacher has to check responses for each class section for which the work as assigned. The ease of the automatic Mark as done probably outweighs this extra step for most teachers, though, making the feature still worthwhile. Unless you love your Add-ons.

Last week, my students used a Google Form for peer editing. They were assigned partners and shared a Google doc with one another. Then, they used a Google Form to provide feedback. The Writer’s Name drop down list selected a student’s e-mail address, and with Form Mule, the work was automatically e-mailed to the writer on submission. I was proud of this one: well designed, effective, and a solid lesson. But then I added the form to Classroom. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that my functions in the sheet and the customization I set up with Form Mule and Copy Down were no longer in effect, since copying the form creates a new results sheet and does not copy the Add-ons and settings.

For me, this is a deal breaker. When I use Add-ons to manipulate data or communicate with users, it often takes a while to program effectively. I install Add-ons, submit dummy data, preview, and revise. Then I send out the form to live online and accept results. To do this once is standard, but I now have to do this three times for my class sections. Teach five classes? That’s five installs, templates, send conditions, etc.

What’s Your Purpose?

Since forms are just tools, like with any other tech, it comes back to purpose. Are you content checking multiple form response sheets? Or is it essential that all your data be in one place? Are you a Google Forms power user, using Add-ons and complex functions? Let these answers guide your choices. For me, linking to a live form is usually going to be more worthwhile. The new integration is powerful, but don’t let it mess with how you view, organize, and respond to data.

About Me

Adam is a high school teacher, technology coach, Google for Education Certified Trainer, and EdD candidate. He is one of the National School Board Association's “20 to Watch” Educational Technology Leaders for 2016. He is also the co-founder of The Education Calendar, a crowdsourced map and calendar of education events worldwide. Adam teaches in New York in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom and blogs about teaching and educational technology at aschoenbart.com. He can be reached at aschoenbart@gmail.com and would love to connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.